


Family

by Aaronlisa



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-20
Updated: 2015-07-20
Packaged: 2018-04-10 07:56:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4383632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aaronlisa/pseuds/Aaronlisa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Willow deals with the fall out of her parents being dead. (This is a very loose sequel to "You Just Can't Believe Me".)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon and company.

Willow never really spent any time thinking about what would happen if she was on her own. Despite the fact that she's best friends with a vampire slayer and by now quite a few vampires and demons recognize her, Willow never really thought she'd be the one who'd be left alone. She always kind of thought that if anything happened, she'd be the one who was dead. Not that she spent a lot of time on such morbid thoughts. However, fate had different plans and instead of it being her the victim of some vampire out to torment the slayer, her parents were the victim of some random vamp attack and Willow's all on her own. 

Sure she has a variety of aunts and uncles, and even cousins, that in theory should be more than willing to offer her a home. Even a temporary one until she goes off to some Ivy League school. Instead after her parents' memorial service, held in Los Angeles because no one had the time or the inclination to make the trip down to Sunnydale, Willow was packed up on a bus again without any promises of future contact or assistance. 

It's not that she needs the help or even money, her parents left her a substantial sum in the bank along with the house being in her name. And aside from her inheritance, Willow's made quite a bit of money by being a computer geek. A few programs sold to Microsoft and a series of smart investments means that Willow never really needs to work unless she wants to. And when it comes down to it, in the last few years, her parents were never actually around. Despite being renowned child psychologists, they actually sucked as parents. They were far too wrapped up in their careers so that Willow was almost always on her own. 

Before Buffy came to town, both Xander's and Jesse's parents would check up on her and make sure things that were okay. And then with Buffy's arrival, Giles and Mrs. Summers became surrogate parents of a sort of her. Giles more so than Buffy's mom but still, Willow didn't need anyone to ensure that she could survive on her own. She had been doing it for so long. 

What made her feel rejected on the lonely bus ride from Los Angeles to Sunnydale in the late afternoon was the fact that no one in her family _wanted_ her. It's not as if they treated her as a burden, instead it was just assumed that Willow would much rather go back home to Sunnydale and go back to the only life she had ever known. One of loneliness and rejection. She'd been rejected by her parents and her family. Is it any wonder that she was so socially awkward that she couldn't get a boy to like her back? 

The bus pulls up into the station and Willow sighs at the fact that it's almost night. She couldn't even tell her family in LA why she'd wanted to spend the night. When she had asked her Uncle Manny, he had said that it would be better if she went home instead of staying in LA with any of her family there. For a moment, she thinks about calling Giles but decides against it. 

She picks up her bag and walks off of the bus. Before she gets very far, she hears her name being called out and then she's enveloped in a hug that's warm and welcoming. Xander and Buffy are both babbling about everything that she's missed in Sunnydale - since she's been gone for less than twenty-four hours, it's not much even with Angelus on the loose. 

Willow smiles as they release her. She notices that Giles is standing by his car and she can't help but smile. Perhaps she does have some family in Sunnydale and perhaps things won't be as lonely as they were before when her parents would just abandon her to focus on their careers. 

((END))


End file.
